This invention relates to rotary wing aircrafts and, more particularly, to an access panel on a fuselage of a rotary wing aircraft.
A nut plate is a small plate to which a fastener nut is secured. It is used in aircrafts on walls which do not permit the use of a tapped opening. The nut plate typically includes a pair of fastener openings spaced diametrically apart on opposite sides of the nut. Openings matching the fastener openings in the nut plate are formed in a wall to which the nut plate is secured. The nut plate is positioned on the wall with its fastener openings in alignment with the openings that were formed in the wall. Then rivets or other suitable fasteners are inserted intra the aligned openings and secured in place to in turn secure the nut plate to the wall.
The rivets are generally secure place one at a time using a punch tool. The compression created when the first rivet of the nut plate is secured may cause the second end of the nut plate to lift from the wall such that a gap exists between the second end of the nut plate and the surface of the wall. As a result, vibrations may cause the nut plate to separate from the wall over time.